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Editor's Note: Any reference to TheStreet Ratings and its underlying recommendation does not reflect the opinion of TheStreet, Inc. or any of its contributors including Jim Cramer or Stephanie Link.

Royal Dutch Shell (
RDS.B) pushed the Basic Materials sector lower today making it today's featured Basic Materials laggard. The sector as a whole closed the day up 1.0%. By the end of trading, Royal Dutch Shell fell $3.66 (-5.2%) to $67.21 on heavy volume. Throughout the day, 2,729,506 shares of Royal Dutch Shell exchanged hands as compared to its average daily volume of 1,072,900 shares. The stock ranged in price between $67.01-$67.68 after having opened the day at $67.31 as compared to the previous trading day's close of $70.87. Other companies within the Basic Materials sector that declined today were:
Kimber Resources (
KBX), down 17.2%,
Ossen Innovation (
OSN), down 14.8%,
Quaterra Resources (
QMM), down 13.6% and
Cardero Resources Corporation (
CDY), down 12.1%.

Royal Dutch Shell plc operates as an independent oil and gas company worldwide. The company explores for and extracts crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids. Royal Dutch Shell has a market cap of $222.1 billion and is part of the energy industry. Shares are down 0.0% year to date as of the close of trading on Wednesday.

TheStreet Ratings rates
Royal Dutch Shell as a
buy. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its attractive valuation levels, largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures and increase in stock price during the past year. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company has had sub par growth in net income.